Avoidance
by SilverLunarStar
Summary: One-Shot! Movie-verse. At the Christmas dinner hosted by Professor Slughorn, Hermione consumed Dragon tartar in order to "keep Cormac at bay." What if Harry had a better idea? HPHG! Happy one month Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!


**Avoidance**

_By: SilverLunarStar_

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**Disclaimer:** _TOO MANY HARMONY SCENES WERE SHOWN IN THE MOVIE AND NO REAL PROGRESS WAS MADE. Would a Harmony fan have left it at that? Of course not! So I, therefore, do not own._

**Author's Note:** _First of all, __**thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and/or added **_**For Harry **_**and **_**With You **_**to their favorite's!**__ Here's another could-have-turned-Harmony scene dedicated to you all. Spoilers ahead! Also, this is in celebration of _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_ movie being out for a month! Remember, I've only seen the movie once so I'm not sure if the dialogue is exact. If anyone sees something that is not right, let me know and I will correct it. Thanks!_

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Harry Potter was very glad that he had a…well, he didn't want to say better, but he did have a date that he got along with more than his date from two years ago. True, Luna Lovegood was an odd character, but, frankly, it was a lot easier to identify with her than others. This was one of the reasons he chose her as his date when he had had no other option. He felt a bit guilty that she had been a last resort, but she didn't seem to mind much.

Meeting Luna at the corridor, they made their way to the party. He couldn't help but think that the dress she adored was quite lovely and suited her. The memory of breakfast before the Quidditch competition a couple of days ago came to mind and he was very thankful that she had played along in making his best friend, Ron Weasley, believe he had added the Felix Felicis into his pumpkin juice. As strange as the girl portrayed herself to be, she really was intelligent, as her chosen house exemplified. This was the other reason he had asked her to be his date, rather than chose someone from Gryffindor.

Once they arrived at the party, Harry was dragged from his date by Professor Horace Slughorn. He sent a quick, apologetic glance at the blond.

She smiled in understanding, knowing he was actually very annoyed and embarrassed by the attention. He may be the most famous wizard of their generation, but he really was very modest. She was happy that he had chosen her, even though she knew she wasn't the first, or even second, alternative. Those two really were quite silly as to have other people in mind before their preferred choices… Luna wandered off, making sure there weren't any creatures ready to invade the delicious-looking pastries. It'd be such a shame if they went to waste.

Harry was grinning and bearing as he let himself be dragged here and there by Professor Slughorn. Just when he thought he'd have a stroke after so many flashes, the man was finally distracted away from him. He knew he had to get close to the professor, as instructed by Professor Dumbledore, but having his picture taken, Merlin only knew how many times was, definitely not one of the obstacles he had thought to face. Oh, how he wished he could talk to Hermione Granger and ask her what she thought he should do. Since his arrival, however, he had not seen her…

After kindly, if not a bit awkwardly, refusing a beverage from Neville Longbottom – it really was weird having a fellow dorm mate and friend serve him – he suddenly spotted the back of his female best friend. What a lovely back it was too… Shaking his head to try and rid himself of such thoughts, he followed her. Moving aside the mass of thin veils, he reached a tiny clearing. "Hermione, what are you doing? And what happened to you?" He took in her huddled form.

"Now, I've just escaped. I mean…" She hesitated. "I left Cormac under the mistletoe."

"Cormac? That's who you invited?" He couldn't believe it. Out of all the people! Harry had been very glad when Hermione Confounded the arrogant Gryffindor; he would not have been able to tolerate it if he would have made it into the immediate team. Sadly, he had to admit the seventh year was a good Keeper and left him as a reserve. He was completely indignant. Why had he not asked her to the party sooner, when it was obvious she wasn't going with Ron anymore? Well, she had been quite upset and he didn't want to seem impassive, so he had decided to bide his time. Obviously, that had been a mistake. Why hadn't she thought to ask him, though? Wouldn't it have been better if she had at least come with someone who's company she enjoyed?

Hermione unintentionally answered his silent wonder. "I thought it would annoy Ron the most." She looked like she absolutely regretted her decision. No amount of payback was worth this. "He's got more tentacles than a snufflelump plant."

Harry held in his mirth, thinking about the plant they had studied in Herbology last week.

A waiter interrupted them. "Dragon tartar?" he offered.

Harry wanted to beat the waiter. What if he had been disrupting a lover's tryst? He froze as he realized what he had just thought. While he was with Hermione, no less.

"I'm fine, thank you," Hermione politely refused.

"Just as well, they give one horribly bad breath." He grinned.

He laughed shortly, aggravated. Really, why would he offer such a bite?

"On second thought." She grabbed the tray and the waiter left, free of his bearings. "Might keep Cormac at bay."

Before she could grab one and stuff it, in a very Ron-like manner, Harry imagined, he took the tray from her.

"Harry! What are you doing?" she exclaimed. She looked over his shoulder. "Oh Merlin, here he comes." She tried to duck, but was stopped by a hand winding around her waist. She looked up, startled.

Harry put the tray on the window-sill and his now unoccupied hand joined its partner. Looking into her lovely brown eyes, he brought her closer to him.

Hermione was speechless. Just what had gotten into him? She was trying to escape from the most awful date of the century and Harry was trying to stop her?!

"I have a better idea, if you want to avoid McLaggen so bad." Before she could say anything, his lips were upon hers.

The witch's eyes widened in surprise. Never had she thought this was possible. Had she dreamt it? Yes, to be honest, she had, time and time again. However, she never thought it would come to play anywhere but in her imagination. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cormac make his way through the veils, so she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

It was Harry's turn to be surprised. Really, he hadn't been thinking when he took the initiative and kissed his best friend. His best friend of six years, the girl he had been romantically linked to two years ago, but both had refuted – quite truthfully, at that time – vehemently. The girl, while he's being honest, he'd been in love with since their third year, when she had helped him, at all costs, save his godfather. His love for her only grew the following year when she, out of everyone, believed him when he said he had not put his name in the Goblet of Fire. He remembered his heart stopping when she had been attacked in the Department of Mysteries. Time and time again this girl in his arms had saved him, in more ways than one.

When Hermione felt his tongue outline her lips, she automatically opened for the invasion, inadvertently letting out a small moan as his hands drew circles on the small of her back. In the back of her mind, she heard someone stumbling away. She drew her mind completely away from everything but the boy whose arms she was in. Her own tongue twirled against his and they battled. It was a pleasant fight, not only because of the feelings it invoked in her, but because she knew that – unlike some people – no matter what, she and Harry would never intentionally hurt each other's feelings. She threaded her hands into his messy black hair and it became even more untidy.

Finally parting for some much needed air – their noses could only inhale so much – they stared into the other's eyes, brown meeting green. As they have done for so many years, they communicated with their eyes alone. They let each other know that this was what they had been wanting all along. They had denied themselves for too long and it was time to finally give in. While the Weasley siblings were important to the two, there was no denying that what had just occurred was not at all similar to what was currently going on with Ron and Lavender. It was not just lust. Whether they would willingly admit their true feelings in that instant, however, would not be known.

"Mr. Potter."

The two looked toward the source of the drawl and flushed. Professor Severus Snape was standing before them. They quickly, but unwillingly, parted from one another.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry asked, nervously. He barely tolerated the man and for him to have caught him in an intimate moment did not suite well with him.

"A word, _alone_," he emphasized when he saw that Hermione had not moved from his side.

Aggravation filled the emerald-eyed sixteen-year-old. Who was he to-? Before he could retort, however, he felt Hermione's small hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw her understanding smile and read the message she conveyed to him with her eyes. 'We'll talk later.' Nodding briefly, he took her hand and squeezed it gently.

Hermione left.

Professor and student stared at one another in contempt before they moved to the other side of the veils as well.

Once the message was relayed and he saved his idiotic godson, Draco Malfoy, from making a spectacle of himself even further, he left, said godson at hand. Looking back, he saw Potter talking with Granger. 'Why must Albus always be right?' he wondered. He would not hear the end of it now. Thankfully, he would have a quiet Christmas break, but once the Headmaster found out about the blooming relationship between the know-it-all and 'Chosen One,' they'd all be in for it.

Well, at least the old man would owe Minerva fifty galleons for guessing that they'd get together before Christmas break.

_A Breaking of the Ice_

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_Yay! Another movie-verse fic done! Usually, I don't like using the movies as canon, but, again, WAY too many Harmony scenes to resist, especially this one. It was my absolute favorite, right next to the comfort scene, of course, but there were already quite a few fics of that one out._

_Hope you all enjoyed!_

_Let me know what you think!_

_Cheers,_

_~*Eli_


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